János Bóka will be the Minister responsible for European Union affairs in the government, Chief of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás announced on Monday.

Gergely Gulyás stated that János Bóka will assume the position from 1 August. Bóka is currently the State Secretary for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Justice. Gergely Gulyás also noted that the appointment of Bóka comes as a result of the agreement between the prime minister and Bence Tuzson, nominated for the position of minister of justice, that European affairs would be separated from domestic justice matters and a new portfolio created.

The appointment of Minister János Bóka is justified by the fact that Hungary will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2024. Thus, the task of the new minister will be to coordinate the preparations for the presidency with the country’s EU allies, as well as with the relevant ministries within the government, Gergely Gulyás explained. The prime minister will propose the appointment of János Bóka on 1 August to President of the Republic Katalin Novák.

Mr János Bóka is considered to be the Prime Minister’s EU sherpa. He received his JD and his PhD in law from the University of Szeged (Hungary) and an MA in European Integration and Development from VUB (Belgium). Previously, he served as a senior legal advisor focusing on EU law, private international law, cross-border insolvency and consumer protection at the Curia (Supreme Court of Hungary) and as the director of the Hungarian Academy of Justice. He taught EU law at various universities.

The future minister gave an interview to Hungarian Conservative in March, where he discussed the new rule of law framework, the growing political pressure of European Parliament and the Hungarian Child Protection Act.

Read more: